Dempsey can be listed as a MF at this point with all those strikers. Safe to say Bradley has something planned here by brining 4 forwards. You have to imagine at least one of the non-Jozy players gets a fair share of minutes. Otherwise it’s a waste.

How in the world does Ching get dropped after showing what he can do last night? Findley didn’t even see the field, and likely won’t in South Africa. Everything else seems pretty spot on, but this one is perplexing. There must have been some things from camp we didn’t see that Bradley knew.

Glad Ching, Rogers, Pearce and Klejstan did not survive the cut. Ching is simply way past his sell date, and Findley, while not stellar, at least is on the rise and could prove useful as a late sub. Could have done without ‘Bortstein, but unfortunately we don’t have much depth in the back.

I really thought Ching played well last night. There were more than a few instances where he received the ball, held it up against two or three defenders and drew a foul or was able to pass the ball to someone else. I am surprised he didn’t make the team.

Wow. I wasn’t a big Ching fan, but last night I thought he showed well. I would have liked Bedoya over Findley, since Donovan and Dempsey could play up top.
I must say that I loved Findley when he was with the Galaxy, and seeing him develop at Real Salt Lake is great, but I am not sure he will make an impact for USA. Love that Gómez and Buddle are on!!!!!!! I think Bradley realizes that Buddle and Altidore can do the holding role and are more athletic than Ching.

Only snub in my mind is Ching… should have gotten the spot over Findley. Not sure Buddle is the right fit after only seeing one game, but hes probably the 23rd man in and theres no anyone else id rather see…

Totally stunned by Findley’s inclusion. You have to wonder what in the world he did last week that put him in such a good position, there was not even a need for Bradley to see him play yesterday in order to include him. Sad about no Bedoya but not really that shocked. Obviously, Ching’s exclusion is a shock. I can deal with Buddle being included, but I just can’t imagine a scenario in which Findley has any impact at the World Cup.

What forwards have been the most impressive in camp so far? How have Gomez and Buddle looked?

Carlos Bocanegra (11:10 AM)

They’ve all looked really good. They’re hungry, working hard, scoring goals. All of the forwards up top, they’ve been doing well in training and making our lives difficult as defenders. I’m hoping that Finley will be one of the surprises of the tournament. I think he’s got something special to take guys on one on one.

Findley over Bedoya?????? How in the world did this happen??? Findley has been a nonfactor for a long time, I dont’ care about the physical similarities to C. Davies….he is not Davies. I can’t believe Bedoya did not make it.

Bedoya for Findley. It simply doesn’t matter that Findley can sprint, he has no qualities on the ball. I actually agree with taking Buddle over Ching, but taking Findley is down right dumb. He shouldn’t see a second of action.

I like the list, and all the impact strikers on there. We have speed and strength up top.
My only objection would be Bornstein, I think dropping him and adding Bedoya would have been better, or if we really needed an emergency defender, I think Parkhurst warranted a look.
It’ll be interesting to see what the starting 11 looks like vs. Turkey since it’s probably the same 11 we’ll see vs. England.

Glad to see no Ching. I have a saying, play Ching, very hard to win. Findley is a surprise, and I would say Torres is too as his style doesnt really fit with what Bradley likes to do. Bornstein had to go as cover as LB, doesnt mean he has to see the field. I am surprised to see only 7 dmen, I know they see as Edu as cover, but still…

Thought Ching showed me something last night with his hold-up play. Don’t really understand why Findley was taken over him. Love seeing Gringo Torres, but he was always a lock I think. Bornstein apparently dates Bradley’s daughter or something. I don’t what he has to do to lose his spot. Extra dribbling cones would be a better use of space on the plane than bringing that guy.

The Findley over Ching is the only real shocker in the 23. Otherwise was about what I expected. Glad to see that Torres and Gomez both made it as I think both bring a quality that will be needed. Happy that BB didn’t bring his adopted son Sacha and the Lazy EJ. After last nights No-Heart performances they clearly didn’t desirve to go. Little disappointed by Bedoya, but he’s put his name on the map for the next cycle.

I agree that Ching’s thing is that he makes the players around him better. My thinking on BB’s thinking is that Ching isn’t someone who comes off the bench for 15 minutes and changes the game potentially like Gomez or Buddle.
But I would have taken Ching over Findley.

bringing buddle and findley over someone like bedoya (not saying he’s maradona but i think he’s certainly better than findley) clearly shows dempsey is playing RM. i’m stunned by the forward selection. if robbie bleeping findley is starting for us against England we’re toast. Gomez looks like a solid energy boost off the bench, Buddle is taking the ching target role I guess. Findley the speed role? hope to hell he isn’t the direct replacement for charlie, i honestly would’ve taken a 50% or above charlie over findley

I agree – Ching has been our sharpest forward. He’s not glamorous, but effective. I was annoyed when he was our 1st choice forward in early qualifying, but I’d still say he deserves a roster spot. Maybe in the end he’s just too injury-prone.

I thought for sure Ching would make this roster. Bob going with speed with Findley, huh? WHo starts up top? Demsey with Altidore I guess and Holden on the right. But Bob is bringing FOUR forwards. SO who knows? Wow.

No Ching but Buddle AND Findley? We’re taking 3 strikers with almost zero international experience.

If nothing else Ching is a guy you get in there to wear down defenders in a game where the other team is parking the bus. Really disappointed not to see him go, I thought he’d earned his spot in the last few matches.

Ok. I agree but the next best thing is Findley? Between him and Buddle, you have the exact same lack luster forward. At least Ching can give you an option as a target. Findley and Buddle can not do that.

I am convinced that Bornstein is in possession of questionable photos of Bradley, because there is no reason he should be on the team otherwise. He was an absolute disgrace last night and against the Netherlands. How many chances does Bornstein need to screw up before Bradley stops the little love affair they have? I’m happy with all the other choices, but after his performance last night, the inclusion of Bornstein had my jaw on the floor; Bradley needs his head examined

And let’s face it…if we’re looking to bring someone on late to get a goal, that’s not Ching’s forte. Doubtful that any of Buddle, Gomez, and Findley start…so they’ll be needed for fresh legs and poaching capabilities

Ching looked pretty good last night. He held up the ball and brought other players in to the game. not sure i agree with Findley over him. Ching has way more experience. Also I wanted Bedoya to make it. He looked like he could be a good option if Holden went down.

Weird that Findley is in over Ching, or that Ching isn’t going in general (I really feel like he’d be a useful bench player as a late sub in a game where we’re trying to hold onto a result), but honestly, the best part about seeing this is Deuce being listed with the forwards. I’m assuming this means he will be starting at forward with the midfield starters being LD-Bradley-Edu/Redcardo-Holden. That’s our best starting lineup in the attack as far as I’m concerned (and many others here have voiced the same opinion) with Chuck D still out, and I’m glad it appears Bob agrees with all of us on that.

Since I’ve temporarily given up pessimism, I’ll just say I hope the best 15(ish) guys can stay healthy for the duration of the tournament. We might (or might not!) get into some trouble if Bradley has to go any deeper than that into the bench.

WOW. Findley over Ching is a shocker! I feel bad for Bedoya but his time will come. I knew either Bedoya or Ching wasn’t going but…neither? And especially in place for Findley. I mean, I was on the Findley bandwagon six months ago, but he has done NOTHING since. At least Ching does one thing really well (target man/distribute), while Findley does a bunch of things fairly.

Bocanegra said something about how Findley really impressed at camp, with his ability to beat defenders 1v1. I wonder if Ching was injured, cause you have to wonder how much time Gomez, Findley, and Buddle will really get.

Umm, what soccer do you watch? No other forward in the US pool has Ching’s hold up and link up play. He’s maybe not world class, but maybe if you’ve actually seen Findley play you’d realize this was a mistake. I’m not really convinced with Buddle either, take your pick between him and Findley, but shocked at Ching’s exclusion.

Yeah it makes sence if you really think about it last year in the confederations cup a striker who could hold the ball up wasnt real needed or effective only fast strikers that could take on defenders one on one like davies were effective

No Ching is a surprise…Findley must have given Bob a good case in training. He didn’t score vs. the Dutch but after a couple of bad passes he held up the ball well enough..He certainly has the speed to make things happen as a sub…

Dude, Bornstein is starting against England, mark my words. In camp he will run really fast and have the fastest timed mile run. That’s all the matters to the US squad. Running fast and for long periods of time.

I’d laugh if Findley ended up scoring the game winning goal in one of the world cup games.

I think we’re all surprised that Ching didn’t make the team but I think Bradley Sr. is looking for speedy players with more technique to replace Davies rather than someone to just hold the ball. Plus, we saw this season that Jozy is becoming a player that can hold up the ball.

I’d have preferred Ching, but Buddle can do Ching’s job (and score goals). Last night, Buddle made a great effort challenging Cech for the ball (and paid the price, too), allowing Edu to pouce on the rebound and score. He also did a good job holding the ball with his back to goal to give time for the midfield to join the attack.

I’d still rather have Adu than Findley (Bedoya on the 30-man? Really?), but then again, I suppose this team has plenty of “attacking midfielders”/”withdrawn forwards” already. I wonder if Bob thinks there’s a chance Findley can play the Davies Confed. Cup role.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Bob’s choice of 5 forwards signals that he’s confident our defensewill be sufficiently fit and sharp in SA. He’s at least more confident than me, anyway. I was wondering if he was going to hedge his bet by bringing in Gooch and Boca + another defender (umm… Pearce? eww) at the expense of a forward slot (as Dempsey, or even Donovan, can play more advanced).)

Why give the coaching the staff the benefit of the doubt? There is nothing Findley could have possibly shown during training camp that we haven’t already seen. He sucked in every USMNT appearance and sucks in MLS. I think he’s only on the team because they assume he’s fast because he’s African American.

I think if you look at our group what we need the most is speed. I’m shocked about Ching, but if starting thinking about who is best to play with Jozy you can make the case that Ching is the worst out of the bunch. I can’t stand supporters getting on Bob for the selections when all we’ve seen is last nights friendly. There is a reason you have a camp. Club form goes out the window once you get called into camp.

I do agree that Findley kind of puts a bamper on the whole proceedings, but to look at the positives Buddle and Gomez did look pretty good last night (and Buddle looked good being paired with Johnson which probably wasn’t easy). Buddle seemed to be all over the place and certainly wasn’t afraid to put his head in there to get a touch onto the Edu goal. Gomez seems like a very good sub option because he showed some speed and the ability to be a lurker (in a good way). Torres looked very good last night tracking back and was very good at keeping possession and often freeing up Buddle or the wingers and switching the field. People were calling for him to be excluded, but after last night he looks to be deserving of the roster spot. The rest of the picks are what we expected, though hopefully there are enough centerback options because Onyewu certainly looked to be either limping or favoring that leg last night.

I don’t think it was Findley over Ching. I think it was Buddle over Ching. Findley has the one thing no one else has up top – break away speed. At least that’s what I keep hearing. Apparently, he’s got great 1v1 skills also. Yet to see that in action either. I think Ching brings more to the fold than Buddle. Tough call though. Congrats to these guys.

Dude, Ching has been crap for a long time. He was crap in the 5-0 beatdown Mexico handed to us at the Gold Cup final. He’s been crap in MLS with Houston. He was nominally okay last night in a half where we got our asses handed to us by a Czech b team that isn’t going to the world cup. He’s slow. He’s old. He’s long past his prime. Time to give someone with a future ahead of him a chance.

i don’t think we can go much thinner in the back. in fact, taking only 7 defenders already puts us in dangerous territory; a knock plus a couple of card suspensions (and god knows we’re prone to those in int’l competitions) and we’re in reaaaaly bad shape. like, playing edu at CB type of bad shape.

guys. very simple, all the included forwards are really not that fast. findley’s inclusion, while shocking to me, is simply to make up for some of CD9’s speed on the roster….dempsey starts up top with jozy as withdrawn striker, hercules as super sub….

Nawwwww……not really. Think about it. Chhings job is “hold up man” – he is ploddingly slow, but deft with the sphere.

He is getting old and he has been nursing multiple injuries.

Who do have to supplant him as the target man, hold up guy? – Dempsey and / or Altidore – both with strong presences around the box, good dribbling skills, height and physical strength. Altidore is a bull, unstobbable when he gets a head of steam, and his first touch has improved tremendously – Clint is starting for a middle of the table Premiership team – alternating between forward and wing, or central mid and knows chapter and verse of the hold-up man’s book of wisdom / with a PhD from the school of hard knocks. So……..no problem, no problem, no problem.

And, Hercules and Edson are going to step up to the plate, Big Time!

I would have liked to see Freddy Adu make the forward roster – but fine wines take time and that is a discussion for another day.

If I could pick my dream team – I would only exchange Andre Akpan for Findley – and leave the other’s on the roster as is (the Green Ghost runs faster with a pure, untested rookie at the wheel) but that’s just my personal little pet peave. Veritas…..

Ching was/is a decent hold up guy. He has been pretty crap in most of the US games he has played in. He had a whole qualifying cycle to embed himself on his team so one decent pass last night wasn’t enough to cement him in the final 23. I like that Bob went with guys who have a lot to prove at the international level. They better leave it all on the field.

I’m not a big Ching fan either, but if you’re taking 5 forwards, I would pick him over Findley any day. Sometimes Ching seemed a little out of sync with a younger forward partner, but I believe that was because he was thinking like a more mature player and positioning himself in the right spot based on his experience. Some of that will be lost with younger strikers.

Findley and Ching (and probably Buddle) will never see the pitch in SA, so the entire discussion about them is basically irrelevant. Bedoya is the more interesting omission, but that assumes he would be played ahead of any of the other mids, and I don’t necessarily see that. Bottom line is that Bob did the right thing — he picked two incredibly hot goal scorers in Buddle and Gomez over Ching, who rarely ever scores. Now the question is whether he will play Altidore/Dempsey or Altidore/Gomez or just Altidore up top.

Agree with Demian, it was more Buddle over Ching. He’s really the only guy that could be a holding forward besides Jozy.
I would think Dempsey starts up top. But why bring four forwards then?
Herc is there for a supersub. Findley is there for speed. And Buddle for a just in case of injury?

surprised to see findley for sure, but i don’t think it’s that big of a deal. neither ching or findley would play – the only way ching would have played is as a starter (he’s not really a goal scoring option you bring off the bench if you’re losing…).

i am very curious to see if we run 2 true forwards and keep dempsey in the mid. i think that’s our best look. while holden is good, i think dempsey up top will basically turn into a 4-5-1, and we saw how well that went for us in the last world cup and we had brian mcbride leading the line then (definitely a better option than jozy at the time). i’d go dempsey and dono on the flanks, gomez and jozy up top…but i dont see bob doing that

I think that Ching played great last night…..However, I think that buddle showed a good ability to hold up the ball and make good decisions to bring the rest of the team into the game. Which is essencially what everybody expected Ching’s role to be.

If Buddle can be the “post-up” forward, when we need one, there is no reason to bring Ching, because Buddle is also an in-form scorer right now. Ching is not scoring goals.

I keep thinking that the reason that Findley was picked over Ching was, not only, an impressive camp, but he is younger and could also gain alot of experience from this world cup for the next world cup. Ching would never make the 2014 team, so it would make sense to give the speedy youngster the spot, IMO.

Judging from the comments on the board, I’d say the Findley pick is not popular. Just remember we are talking about the no. 23 slot on the roster. Each spot is precious, but we’re talking about a player that will be used for very specific situations. I’m guessing that Bradley wanted a very fast forward who played a vertical game in the absence of Davies. Ching is a slow target forward, and Bradley probably thinks that Altidore and Buddle can handle that function. I think Bradley has put together an interesting roster, sure there is “controversy” at the edges of the roster, but maybe 21 of the 23 spots are the guys that we’d all pick. I’m a bit disappointed that Bedoya didn’t make it, he’s an interesting player, but otherwise I’m looking forward to seeing if BB can get these guys to click like they did at the second half of the confed cup!

Could it be that Buddle took Ching’s spot and then Findley was added after last night when Pearce stunk up the joint?

Maybe Bradley’s logic was – I think I can go with seven defenders instead of eight, so drop Pearce and add a wildcard option.

As some people have noted, it is unlikely Findley sees the field; however maybe he becomes a good substitute in a game we get up by 2 in (like against Algeria) and we want to drop the defense back and allow a speed guy (who doesn’t have to have a lot of touch) to play a counterattack.

Wait, how did Ching do well last night? Did he put the ball in the back of the net? Did he even get a shot? Did he get a head on the ball on a corner? Yeah, he had one nice run, and ALMOST made a pass that could have led to something, but thats what he ALWAYS does. Nothing the guy has done against good teams has ever lead to a goal. Unless the ball deflects off him on someone elses shot, he is dead weight up front. Give Findlay a shot.

Looking at the roster a bit more, surprised that we are only carrying 3 wide midfielders, 4 if you count Dempsey. I guess in a pinch you can put Benny wide, but I see him more as a center mid.

Unless, they really want more time to figure out which of those guys is hot. Maybe they decided Bedoya was clearly behind the other outside midfielders (LD, Holden, DMB, Dempsey,), but over the next two weeks, Findley, Buddle or Gomez, could all have a light bulb go on and be the one you want to put on with 15 minutes left.

I don’t know what level of fitness Charlie is at, but Gooch has me worried. He was always solid, but never the best with the ball at his feet. Now, when the mountain of a man is getting beat in the air by shorter players, he worries me.

I don’t think Ching is good enough to help us against a good team, but I do think there’s a place for his target man/possession game when holding a lead against teams like Algeria or Slovenia so I’m surprised he didn’t make it. I thought there was less of an argument to take him last time around because it was tough to see him doing much vs. the teams in our group. He played well last night and I would have thought that cemented his spot. The only positive for me is that it means Ching won’t be starting vs. England, which I was worried about, but I do think he would have had a role on this squad.

On the other hand, Findley didn’t play at all and makes the team anyway? That seems surprising. I would have thought he was more like Marshall in that he wasn’t playing because he was out of the mix. I would have probably taken Bedoya instead (if Bradley didn’t want Ching at all) and used Dempsey as the “fourth striker” if necessary, starting him up front still may be our best 11 to be honest. I probably would’ve even taken Johnson over Findley. That’s the shocker I think.

Not sure why Ching was left off. I’m in agreement with others that he’s got to be injured. He did what he usually does pretty well last night…He set up Gomez for a shot with a nifty back heel pass linking play in front of the goal…On the ohter hand he probably wouldn’t have got off the bench though.

I think Findley was brought in for his speed, Ching, I thought had a good game yesterday and was on his way to recovering and making the team. With the emergence of Buddle, though, he became superfluous. Buddle can play as a lone striker, has more speed than Ching and is healthy.

I cannot explain Bornstein, except maybe that Bradley has had a brain fart. I suppose he needed to name at least one Chivas player, cuz the Galaxy have two. He wont start unless the US is truly desperate, but maybe will see a few minutes against Algeria, IF, the US is ahead by 3 or four goals. Otherwise it was a wasted pick. I picked Marshall for Bornstein’s spot, and Ching for Findley’s but otherwise it was pretty much as I predicted.!

i just don’t understand why ching didn’t make the cut, he looked awesome last night! i don’t see why findley doesn’t even have to prove himself on the pitch and he makes the team. he must have had a damn good camp because he didn’t look good at all the last time he played an international opponent(holland). i just don’t see what else ching has got to do. he looked good last night holding the ball and as a target man, and that little backheel to gomez was sick

Damn!!! I shouldn’t be surprised at the high level of bitching and non camp attending having infinite knowledge of who we should pick experts, but I am. first off, Congrats to the guys who made the team. You gotta feel good for guys like Gomez & Buddle who weren’t even in the mix a few months ago. Those are incredible stories that are just beginning.

Now how is it that those of you whining about Ching and Bedoya not being on the team know something that our coaches who have been in camp with these guys for a few weeks would not know? Ching was most likely in it to win it and he didn’t.

Personally, I’m psyched that DaMarcus is back and we’re gonna benefit from it big time. Now, I gotta get my Beasley jersey.

Why have I read so many comments saying that were bringing five forwards. In my opinion Dempsey will start the majority of the games on the wing and move up top occasionally in late game situations. Therefore, I would not call Dempsey a forward.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was anti-Ching going into this match. That said, I also though Findley had no business being in the 30 man camp. Ching really did well in his role last night I thought. Findley not playing showed me, at least, that he had his bags packed and wasn’t even in the mix anymore. This is absolutely bizarre. I really can say that I feel bad for Brian Ching today. I have been hard on him this week and, yes, he’s old and can’t do as much anymore, but Findley over him is very, very interesting.

why? because they are trained professionals who keep tabs on these guys all year and have seen them up close and personal for more than a week now. I trust their judgement more than I do yours, or even mine. It could be that the system and role is starting to “click” for him after a couple USMNT camps

well said … Findley must have really done a number during camp. I vaguely remember a quote by someone (boca?) saying findley was the most dangerous in camp…surprising but we clearly should defer to the managers on this one … still feel bad for ching

Eh, no real surprises here, other than Findley. I was at the game last night and thought Ching did really well holding up the ball and linking up with other attacking players. His sweet heel flick to Rogers was pure class. Here’s hoping our opponents fall asleep on set pieces.

I agree, I think Buddle did a good job of holding up play when he was in that role, that along with Altidore, who has learned to play as a better target man from his time at Hull, negates Ching’s one great skill set.

Plus we still have no speed options at forward, and if Findley looked as good in camp as some are saying, I can’t say I totally disagree.

That is pretty surprising. I for one actually thought we might see Ching play in SA. I don’t know what Ching needed to do to last night to get on the team if this wasn’t preordained(LOLOLOL scoar golz like strikerz do!!?1).

Buddle did a farily good Ching impersonation last night, ie winning balls, getting fouled, and laying off passes; you have to think Gomez is the Microwave sub, not Findley. I don’t expect to see him in SA except for eating pap and fleiss in the luxury box.

re: Jonny B, no real problem with his inclusion. Heath Pearce has played really well for FC Dallas this season, but he was awful last night and we don’t know what he showed in camp. I don’t know who else you take in that spot. Poor Pearce, that probably will cost him some money.

RSL fan here, and I must say Findley wasnt even the best forward on club team last year- that would be Yura Movsisyan, who is playing pretty well in Denmark but is off everyone’s radar, including SBI. Findley was great though coming off the bench the final 20 minutes and running onto balls. That’s his role and let’s embrace it! Either that or BB is going to deploy him at LB or CB to fill those ginormous holes…

I’m happy with all but ONE STUPID MISTAKE Bradley makes over and over and that is to include his adopted/second son BORNSTEIN in the team, I believe it’s just pure favoritism. The guy makes maistakes over mistakes even in practice as I watched couple of the Team Practice clips on line in Princton, and on top of that he was the least rated US player on the field yesterday by all analysts, he was getting killed ou there. But no, Bradley has to bring him anayway because It’s Jonathan Bronstein and he can’t live without him, it’s his lucky charm. What an IDDDDIIIOOOTTT this Bradley is. Let’s hope as I said he’ll just be Bradley’s lucky charm on the bench and NNNEEEVVVEERRR gets on the field, and GGGOOODDD help us if he does.

Findley’s game has clearly not translated to the international stage as of yet. Quite frankly, of all of the potential strikers, he’s done the least out of any of them in an actual game! Maybe he’s a great practice player, but he’s not shown up for a single game and looks anything but a 1 vs 1 skillful attacker not to mention that his so-called speed has been no where to be seen. Completely puzzling…

Onyewu is going to be the downfall of the U.S. team. He is clearly nowhere near being ready. If Bradley’s going to make that stupid pick, he may as well take Charlie Davies. He’s better than Findley even if he has to hop on one leg.

I simply need to put in my $0.02. Cannot believe that Bradley left Ching off in favor of a Buddle or Findley. Especially Findley, he has not shown that he’s capable of playing at the international level, at least not yet. Plus you already have your speedsters in Gomez and Buddle. Ching’s attributes and skill sets will be missed in the World Cup, especially in tight games where experience and composure will be needed. What happens if Jozy is not available or 100% for whatever reason … who is your big bodied target guy now?

I am absolutely 100% shocked that Ching isn’t there and that Findley is. I don’t understand it at all. This is one snub that might actually hurt. If we manage to get leads in any of the games, I’d be much more optimistic about our ability to hold possession if Ching were in. Then again, I suppose we can bring in someone like Benny off the bench to help with possession.

On the other hand, I am very, very happy with Bob’s decision to cut Pearce and take only 7 defenders.

I am totally surprised we’re taking 4 forwards and that one of them is Robbie Findley. I really thought that we’d take 3, play Deuce up top, and bring Bedoya. It’s too bad, I’m really high on Bedoya but it’s all moot now. Wonder if that was Ching’s last national team appearance?

The pick of Findlay over Ching is utter garbage. Someone get me news that Ching is hurt to explain this pick. Gomez better be the starter because we’ll exit early if Findlay starts, and you can count me, a staunch Bradley supporter up to this point, calling for his head. The other 22 picks are fine. It’s the one that is just so glaringly awful.

I may be in the minority but I am happy… I feel bad for Ching who has now missed out on 2 cups that he could have easily been apart of but that his life… Findley had a stellar camp according to Boca and a few other US players… so much so that he did not even need to dress… he will likely be out late burner sub against Slovenia and England where the defense is slow and will likely wilt late…

I think Buddle and Gomez have to be commended for coming out of nowhere to make the team and both showed heart last night which is about all we have right now up front… maybe JOZY will take a cue from them…

Findley’s the shocker for me. He must have really impressed in training because he hasn’t shown on the pitch that he belongs at this level. Ching was a known quantity and I think Buddle played his way in based on last night’s performance, although I thought Ching did well too, Bradley is clearly impressed with Buddle’s current form. Surprised that another defender didn’t make it but Pearce’s yak job last night coupled with a potentially positive response with Onweyu’s knee following 65 mins probably settled Bradley’s mind on that score. Rosters aren’t final until next tuesday and we can make an injury switch up until the start of tournament if disaster strikes.

Everyone on the Ching bandwagon after one game…Bradley’s seen these guys for 3 years, and has seen the entirety of the camp. I used to hate on Bradley, and I still think injuries forced changes he should have made a long time ago, but to be honest? I don’t have a problem with this at all. Based on how the US normally plays, I’d prefer Bedoya to Findley, but I agree that maybe a formation change is coming, or maybe Findley’s been lighting it up. I don’t know. All I know is Bradley has a lot more riding on making this decision than any of us do, and he’s a lot better informed too. I’m not going to rip him (like, apparently, everyone else) over one pick on the roster, when it’s an easily defensible choice that probably won’t matter that much. Seriously, is there any scenario anyone envisions this summer where you’ll turn to the other people watching the game with you and say, “For God’s sake, we really could have used Brian Ching right now.”

I’ll judge Bradley by wins from now on. If the roster underperforms, well, he’ll take heat. If it does well, none of this discussion will matter.

But it is 1 pick… was Ching your starter? I doubt Findley will be… we all seem pretty resigned to the fact that Dempsey will partner Jozy… Donovan on the right and Beasley on the left make up for the lack of pace from Duece and Jozy.. (yes guys bothup top are not slow but not fast either)

No Ching seems like such a mistake. But Bob takes Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, & Robbie Findley. So Gomez is in because he’s in form, Buddle replaces Ching (can anybody really hold the ball up as well as Ching? US options are limited) and Findley replaces Davies. Well, guess we’ll see how we do. Just get out of the group stage boys and then anything can happen!

I would have rather had Thomas Dooley pulled out of retirement rather than have Jonathan Bornstein at this roster.

As far as Ching’s exclusion. Disappointing but that’s because I like him. I don’t think he has a tremendous upside. He is a target man, much like Altidore and Buddle. Gomez is also a poacher. Dempsey isn’t fast but can put them in from far away.

Given the other forwards available, the only one of the roster who could pose any problems for defenses with speed is Findley. Speed is a better choice for changing a game when you already have the other types of guys up top. Plus, Findley is a potential investment in the future of US Soccer, so I am okay with him. When he first came to LA, I saw something in him and believed in him. Was surprised they traded him away.

I am a bit disappointed for Ching and Rogers. I think they both can contribute and Rogers, I think, has some youth on his side too. He is streaky like Dempsey but, much like Dempsey, when he is on he is on.

Johnson has much improved lately, but not enough to bump out Buddle in my opinion. And, given Gomez’s ability to make something of nothing lately, I think the nod must be given to players on a tear. I am pleased Bradley recognized this.

Buddle played like a man last night, there was one play where he went so deep into the middle to get the ball that I thought Edu was making a great run forward….. Buddle is the perfect second forward to play with Altidore

I don’t get the DMB inclusion over Rogers. One has not palyed for his club in a league that is that the same level if not below the MLS. The other has contributed significantly to winning the league for his team, and an MLS cup for his team. Rogers is faster, more creative 1v1, and provides better services thand DMB. I don’t get what people see in DMB. I may sound like a hater but I want the best for the US and I think we may have missed the target on that one.

Interesting that Bradley didn’t elect to take an 8th defender, either Marshall or (gack) Pearce. Hopefully that bodes well for Gooch’s health.

I feel bad for Ching. He’s a good soldier and a good team guy, and I thought he earned a spot. I wasn’t in camp, but either Bradley is bringing along Findley to groom him for the future, or he showed something none of us have seen in his prior Nats appearances.

Leaving off Ching, and with no 8th defender, I would have expected Bedoya or possibly Rogers (as potential LB cover if needed) to be named. The fact that we’re taking 4 forwards PLUS Dempsey makes me wonder if Dempsey starts at wing instead of forward. Which means Holden is on the bench (or starting in the middle with Bradley…). Hmm.

Now for the important question. The team is in DC tomorrow to visit the White House. When/where do DC-area people like me go to send the team off?

I echo previous sentiments that Findley must have played his socks off in camp to get on the team without having to set foot on the field last night. That can be seen as a good thing, but why in Sam Hill’s name would Coach Sweatpants not want to give Findley as many reps as possible? The dude has all of two caps – and as everyone here noticed, they didn’t go so well. If Findley was a lock going into last night, then BB should have put him on the field to play against someone other than his own teammates. Or is this just an elaborate ploy to give CD9 more time to heal? I.e., maybe Findley’s knee is toast, BB ditches him next week, and replaces him with a medically-cleared Davies. A guy can dream….

i thought the exact same thing. I was shocked not to see his name listed, but I’ve also appreciated his game from day one. Surprising especially since he played pretty well last night. I would have thought bob would have given him every chance possible (and a low threshold of expecttions) to get on the plane. Maybe bob isn’t as much of a “his guys” kinda guy afterall.

In Chings last two games for the US he has shown greater passing than most of the guys and good link up play. He sprang Gomez loose with a great ball last night. It would have been nice to him do that in SA.

Ching would be a great role player if you could put 12 on the field and let the other 11 play soccer. Unfortunately, we need players who have a tactical impact on the game and we only have 11 slots to fill (at a time). He’s simply over the hill and I am glad BB recognizes this. Of course, BB still found a way to pick Bornstinky?

Ching and Findley are play different positions Buddle took Chings place as the forward who can hold the ball and Findley took Eddie Johnsons place as the speed forward who can get in behind the defense,

I am no Bornstein fan and he showed me why again last night. That said, you cannot just say he should not be on the team. You have to come up with an alternative. That is the problem for the USMNT. Also, Bornstein’s speed can be useful in late game situations where we are pressing forward for a goal and exposing ourselves on defense. His speed is also useful in training as we need to replicate our opponent’s speed.

Let’s not get crazy about Bedoya and make him out to be more than he is. Currently, he is an average player in Sweden. End of. He may be better next time, but for now, a call in to camp is an accomplishment and just about where he should be.

All Findley has is speed, unfortunately, the USMNT is lacking in that commodity. If you’re looking to play a counter-attacking style, Findley’s speed may be useful or he can keep a defense honest with it. Also, he can be useful in training. In my opinion, Ching is not a starter on this team. As a result, he needs to be a game changer as a sub and he does not fit that bill. Hence, he does not make the team.

Beasley is playing better. He is motivated to find a new club. He has tons of international experience. He also can track back better on defense than those he was competing against. Also, useful for training.

We understand you dont like him but of all the LB Bob tried Bornstein does have the most ability…. would you rather have Pearce who left his man unmarked and thus his man scored…. Bornstein is not great but is the best we have sadly that has nothing to do with bob….. you cant ask someone to put gold on the field and only give him a bag of peanuts

a. clint never plays center mid for fulham
b. he isnt very good at hold-up play, he is a flick-on man
c. he looks best when he is winger or 2nd striker to a true target man like Bobby Zamora (hopefully Jozy can get that job done)

I don’thave a problem with Findley. I just don’t understand why he hasn’t had an opportunity to really play with the Nats if he’s good enough to make the roster. Maybe Ching isn’t completely healthy. This all makes me think the roster was decided before yesterday. Either Findley is ahead of Buddle and Gomez on the depth chart, or everything was already decided before yesterday.

Yes Joe, I think that’s going to be our formation against england. With Dempsey likely performing a Shadow striker role. Possibly Donovan rotating with him as play develops. Because we are so weak at fullback we are going to have to develop width up front which is why Holden needs to be on pitch with LD and CD. Everyone on this board seems to assume we will play 442 but that formation is passe’ at this level and we dont have quality fullbacks to develop width without getting toasted. Just imagine Bornstein isolated vs. Walcott/ Lennon (shudder)

I don’t know why there is any surprise with ching getting ousted. Seems obvious it was not ching over findley, it was gomez over ching. Bradley clears balanced having equal numbers speed guys vs. Stand-up, posession-type forwards. I love these picks, Bob is actually taking risks and dumped his pet Klestjan. I just wish bornstein was not going. I just can’t believe with 300 people that plodder is the best we’ve got.

Really happy with Buddle and Gomez making it. Don’t care about this Ching/Findley talk as neither would see the pitch anyway. If anything, it’s good for Findley to take in the World Cup in case he gets his act together 4 years from now.

Unless Bob Bradley is an idiot (which he is absolutely not), taking into consideration the fact that almost all of the players who didn’t dress last night made the squad, one must assume that Findley had an absolutely stellar camp.
That is the only logical conclusion to make.

either that or we just wasted a friendly giving minutes to guys Bob was gonna cut anyway. England has this same problem, the A team never gets minutes together and they dont have the team chemistry as a result. This is how Mexico made them look like a bunch of amateurs at wembley for 45 minutes.

He didn’t even play Findley last night. That means he was probably already a lock. Shocking, I know, but I doubt we’ll see Dempsey up top to start a game and I almost am beginning to think that we’ll see Findley get the start against Turkey. He is looking to mirror Davies with another player.

How does the average age of our squad compare to other nations? I read an interesting story that it is teams with older players that perform the best at the World Cup. I still don’t fancy the Azurri but I’m curious.

Findlay doesn’t have the technical ability to play at a wc. They aren’t going to be giving goals based on 40 yard dash races. I’m Ching hater but he is a better option than Findley. If Jozy gets hurt well be In trouble. Speed is needed Englan has Lennon off the bench we have Buddle.

Raise your hand if you think Bornstein will be starting at any point and time…. If this upsets you for some reason please list all the players that could have been an improvement over him at left back, Mind you that 3 people that could potentially start over him at LB are on the roster in Boca, Spector, and Beas

wow bob actually made decisions on current form with herc & edson. findley is in for his speed which could change a game in the last 20 minutes. I give bob props for dropping ching even though he had some good sequences last night. Spector must start at left back with DMB or LD in front of him for help. we have no other choice. england speed is on that side. I think bornstein has depth perception issues. he need contact or something.

The focus on this board is a little bizarre. Striker was never our problem – It’s always been about solving our defensive problems through a series of injuries. Right now our backline sends shivers down my spine.

Rogers is a one-trick pony. He burns rubber up the touchline. The problem is that after he beats his man, he usually lays in a bad cross, an errant shot, or somehow allows his defender to catch up again without having had any impact. I honestly think he is lacking in IQ, and that is something we need up front. I wouldn’t have previously picked DMB over Rogers either, but his performance last night was very good, and he was also having a good camp. BB made the right choice.

Ching is useless too, against top quality international competition. He’s serviceable against CONCACAF teams maybe, but noticeably slow and out of place against european powers. I’m happy with Findley, not sayin he’s great but at least we get a guy who has some serious athletic genes. (Mike Bibby anyone?)

You Ching instant-bandwagon populists are making me want to vomit my salad.

1) For the past howeverlongIcanremember, we’ve all whined about the guy for every possible reason under the sun. Up until a week or two ago we all were saying Ching wouldn’t make it, and because of 45 minutes you suddenly turn the tables? I’m not taking away from his performance last night though.

2) Sure Findley is unproven on the national level, and I’m also shocked by his inclusion given his poor record this year in MLS, but if it’s true that he’s torn it up in camp, give him the chance to show it. He was cut after his woeful Netherlands no-show, so I don’t think Bob would just pick him without a legitimate reason.

3) The guy probably won’t see the field, so keep it in context.

4) I can’t help but think back to Michael Bradley’s Confederation Cup quote after beating Spain. None of us have the insider’s view of the camp that BB had, and so our commentary is simply pure speculation.

I am in confident that Buddle will do well as a hold up man cuz he gets in the right spots and showed good positioning in last nights game. He is also more mobile than ching. a buddle with altirdore combo should be very good. I really wanted bedoya to be in the squad and not findley

bornstein is no surprise. sadly we dont have many options for a pure LB! too bad we’re stuck with bornsuck/bornstink/bornsimplyterrible. haha. hopefully bradley starts spector or boca at LB with bornslump as a sub if we’re down.

findley’s inclusion must have been a combination of a great camp and bradley’s acknowledgment of chings age, poor camp, and injury.

How about Reggie Bush? Phil Jackson? Michael Bloomberg? I’d take just about anybody over Bornstein.

Realistically though, even DMB would be an option. I agree with a poster about Rogers being a slightly better wing option than DMB. Rogers is not consistent but I think he’s on his way and could be a hungry, impact player given the world stage.

Seems quite a reasonable roster. Ching’s exclusion has to be injury related in my opinion. That leaves Findley as the only surprise. We’re just going to have to trust that the coaches know something we don’t there. I’m actually encouraged because this must mean that Findley has more skill than I’ve seen. Right?

At the end of the day we are arguing about the final 4 players on the team (I hope). I think if Ching were healthy the whole year he would have probably gotten the nod. Bornstein is an undesirable, but necessary option. I can’t stand him on the field but at the end of the day there is no other option as a pure LB. I hope Borstein never leaves the bench and that the depth chart at LB goes: Boca, Spector, Beasley……….. Bornstein. But at the end of the day it makes no sense to have 5 forwards (including Dempsey in that group) and still have the possibility of moving Donavon up front which leaves you with fewer options in the MF w/o Bedoya. I think most of us would agree that Dempsey or Donavon up front are better options compared to Findlay or Buddle, especially if Gomez comes off the bench as the super-sub.

I doubt Findley steps foot on a WC pitch other than to warm up. Yes it’s shocking that Ching isn’t going but he wouldn’t have played that much anyway. For the most part this is the team everyone thought would go and with that let’s hope they get something done!

It’s time to get excited about the guys that ARE going and stop dwelling on those that AREN’T!

Findley is not a popular pick, but it is a solid pick. Speed kills and he easily has more pace than all the other forwards. BB probably picked him to use his as a sub where his blistering pace will cause nightmares for tiring defenders.

How many goals did we get in the last World Cup? I think it was one for Dempsey + an own goal v. Italy.

Sounds like you didn’t watch it. That’s why we want a better show from our attacking third and we are concerned about the picks.

So, “bizarre” is rather hyperbolic under the circumstances.

As to the merits of your statement, I too am concerned. But I don’t think that we have the kind of depth and experience that would allow for much else. I expect Gooch to be on the field for guys like Crouch, and frequent subs on defense (which kinda sucks, but you fight with the army you have).

No Disrespect but did you see the game last night, Rogers is like a DOG WITH A CONE ON HIS HEAD WHEN HE HAS FLEES AND THE VET DEEMS THE DOG A RISK TO BITE HIMSELF Rogers had the ball at one point and just keep running without trying to do anything with it

Buddle’s connectivity with Donovan may be one of the biggest factors in his selection. They’ve teamed up on most all of Buddles goals for the last 2 seasons.

Buddle also does a great job of holding up for the Galaxy. His physicality and ability to be a target will overly compensate for Ching’s absence.

I think BB wants more speed than stability up top. It sure does overstate how valuable the player skills that Charlie Davies was developing. That is what were really missing.

We’d better do more than pray for the stability of the backline. I find it exceptionally frustrating that a nation such as ours, in the stages of Soccer development that we are now in, that we cannot find a man to excell at Left Back! Frustrating.

I am pretty comfortable with this group. I just wish there was another option at left back besides Bornstein, but thankfully he should be staying on the bench. Stay healthy Bocanegra and Spector!!! Findley is a good option late in a game needing fresh legs for speedy counter attacks, but he will probably stay on the bench as well. Would have liked to see Bedoya make it. Congratulations to Buddle and Gomez. Actually, congratulations to Beasley too. He looked pretty sharp and it’s always nice to have that World Cup experience around the younger players.

Don’t bother defending Ching to the cyber-experts out there. To those with any field intelligence at all, it’s obvious how Ching makes the whole attack a little more dangerous, particularly given the game the US plays. To those without any field intel? Well, at least they’re watching the game to boost the TV viewership, even though they only understand what happens at the pointy end of the stick (in front of either goal, that is).

Seems to me that the general consensus is that neither Ching nor Findley would get much playing time, so if that’s the case, why not take the younger player to gain experience for the next couple of WC’s? Just saying…

This group continues to amaze me. All the “worries” over BB including Klejstan, etc. are proven unfounded, but no one says a thing. They just complain about Ching being left out. I admit I was surprised that Findley made it over Ching, but am willing to give BB the benefit of the doubt as he has seen both work out.

Let’s all get behind our team and put the grousing to bed.

Go USA!! I’m certainly hoping that the game against Turkey shows us more of what the US is capable of.

Saying Bornstein is a necessary option is like saying it is necessary for our team to get manhandled, burned, concede ridiculous penalties, earn terrible cards, and get caught time and again. You cannot look at this situation realistically and say there were no better options out there.

*only 4 MLS players on the roster…(and really I’ll say 3.5 bc of Donovan’s Everton stint) Bornstein, Findley, Buddle, Donovan
*5 of the 7 cuts were MLS players…Ching, Marshall, Rogers, Pearce, Kljestan
BUT, by my count, 16 of the players HAVE at one point or another played in the MLS. Looks clear to me for anyone aiming for 2014, develop your game in MLS and then get yourself across the pond first chance you get

I agree with the assessment and value of the Donovan, Buddle combination. Buddle’s goals this year have been well-earned. Some have been poaching, some off the head, some beating defenders, some making the goalkeeper commit, and some from a bit of distance. He’s a solid choice, I agree.

I also agree with the outrageous situation at Left Back. Are Jeff Agoos or Eddie Pope free? I think they’d be better than JB.

I thought Ching was a lock! I love what he brings to the team, and I think he shows qualities that no other forward options do. BB obviously has much more info than us, but you have to feel for a guy who brings so much to the pitch, and doesn’t make the final 23. 4 years ago, though, Ching was the surprise pick over Twellman, so Karma is a B*tch. Here’s to Findley having a breakout tournament, something we’re all hoping for!

Im not surpirsed Bedoya did not make the cut. Everyone loved him on the boards because he played in Sweden like Charlie and had a good 45 min. If anyone has actually watched ENTIRE game footage you would see his lack of finishing in his games. I think there may even be a youtube clip of him missing. He is a great talent, but the soccer boards really overhyped him in my opinion.

My gut tells me that Findley is in camp so that, when the team practices, our defenders can get used to running with speedy forwards. Of course, the downside is that the D might get used to working against strikers with bad touch as well.

I predict he will not touch the pitch during a game, unless there is a fire on the sideline, or Bornstein grows fangs and scares the other players off of the bench.

In one of your early posts you said you said Pearce left his man unmarked. Bornstein did it twice in the 1st halft but the midfielder never saw him. He personally think he will ride the bench unless if we when the 1st 2 games and the final group match is pointless.

Also, the US has to stop those useless long balls.

Last note i think it was a blessing that we lost 4-2. Had we beaten the Chechs and beat Turkey the US will go in too confident.

I like the squad. Gomez and Buddle are hot, have been scoring goals and were rewarded for it. At least one of them will find the back of the net in S. Africa. The guys who make the starting XI are going to have plenty experience and no fear when they step to England. It would be great to get a draw against England and a win against Slovenia (we all hope!) before seeing if Findley can translate training performance to a real match. He got the start against Holland and lacked the confidence to produce. Bornstein is going to have at least one howler if he is on the pitch. I can’t see the US getting three points in any game he appears in, but I’m not worried as it will take multiple cards and injuries (much bigger issues) for him to get in a match.

c’mon, i hate the mexican team and have travelled to england many times but if England doesnt have a guy who is 6’7 the score is a draw at 1-1. Crouch’s height set up the first goal easily, and the 2nd was obvious.

I came into last night’s game wanting to give EJ every possible benefit of the doubt, because of his form in Greece and his track record of international goals, but he was atrocious. Gomez I figured was a lock in the super-sub role, and I’m happy to see Buddle in there as a Galaxy homer.

I’m really not a Findley fan, but if EJ is the only other speed option, I get it.

Boca obviously doesn’t have ideal pace at LB (to say the least), but with what we’ve seen from the Jewxican as of late, I think he has to be a lock, starting alongside my favorite USMNT player, DeMerit, and the shell of Gooch…ugh.

Love Torres more every time I watch him play…MB, Clark and Edu’s inevitable cards should see him starting at least once.

I’m an RSL season ticket holder and I’m shocked Findley made the team. His touch can be HORRIBLE. But Findley likely made the cut becuase he offers something no one else does. Blazing speed. While everything Ching offers can be found among the others.

The US is going to have to rely on counters and getting in behind to beat any of the big teams anyway. Findley offers a chance at that. Ching does not. Sounds like Findley had a great camp too.

I think this is correct (Spector at RB), but if I were BB, I would seriously consider starting DMB out wide left with Landon on the other side and Holden starting off as a sub (as an aside, I never could’ve imagined saying this a year later after DMB at the Confed Cup). It’s going to be a counterattacking kind of game for us and without Davies in the mix I’d like to get another player who can exploit the open space. They’ll be coming forward on both sides, especially with SWP/Lennon/Walcott and Johnson on the right with our likely lack of speed at left back and having speed on both edges will either keep them back a bit or create an opportunity to exploit the open space. I’d also go in with the expectation that Beasley would not go the full 90 and that Holden would eventually replace him and would likely start in that position vs. Slovenia and Algeria.

I’m surprised Bob made the decision to leave Ching behind. I thought he would bring him along because he’s been part of the team. He’s been horrible lately. Look back at the Gold Cup against Mexico. Ching was really slow then and no better last night.

While I am not a fan of Robbie Findlay and do not think he should have made the squad I like what Bob Bradley did. How many opportunities does Brian Ching need on the Nat’l Team to prove he is worth something? He looked decent last night but never shows up when it matters.

I think this reeks of Garber and Sulati pushing their weight around. We all heard reports that the only reason Jurgen didnt take the job in 06′ was because of MLS bs. Would it be far fetched to say that MLS helped to put Findley and Buddle on the plane? Think about it, both these guys play for the most popular team and the MLS Champions, aka MLS “superstars.” and for them to be on the team would make the MLS look better, as the only other three going would be Ching, Donovan, and Bornstein. If Ching went(he looked good yesterday), he is not a flashy player, but a proven workhouse, Bornstein….it’s Bornstein, and Donovan, well he is the one exception who would look great to the rest of the world, but alot of people are now seeing him as an Everton player because of his stint. SO, what do Gaber and Sulati do? Let’s get Findley and Buddle on the plane at the expense of workhouse Ching and Bedoya, because he plays in another league and we can use the excuse of Findley brings speed and Buddle can do what Ching can do……Its politics….call me whacked out, but think about it……

I think you have to admit that Pearce did not help himslef last night and JB made no glaring errors (but positioning could have been better).
Assuming onweyu, goodson and demerrit are healthy, Boca will start at LB and we will try to stay organized so that he does not have to get in any footraces.

me too……ching even had a pretty good night last night too, but bob Bradley obviously wanted one very quick striker. If that’s the case, its even interesting EJ wasn’t picked and he also held the ball up well last night while he is very fast. Findley must have showed quicker movement in camp than EJ and Ching

So if Bedoya was a striker he’d be in? As a RSL fan I’m not sure to be happy that Findley is on the team or upset because he’ll be missed by RSL and he won’t see the field in SA. Although BB will keep proving us all wrong!

well, im very surprised Findley made it. I can’t believe Ching didn’t. which is weird because i was clamoring for him to be left at home or prove he is playing well. he did play well, but still didn’t get picked. i honestly thought he did better than buddle last night. having said that, buddle is playing well right now and works well with LD. that could come in handy off the bench. so i’m okay with it either way.

findley though, really surprising. he’s fast and i doubt we’ll even see him play more than 20 minutes in the first 3 games, but still, i was not expecting this.

awesome to see gomez get the call. pissed bedoya did not. pissed that JB still did, even though i know why.

well, as for the gold cup, im looking forward to watching castillo and any other LB that wants to emerge. we need someone!!!

So are we thinking that this means we are more likely to see Clint up top, or less likely? For me, Dempsey doesn’t track back enough when he plays outside mid so forward would suit him best- especially if Holden and Donovan are ready to go out wide. I can see Dempsey + Altidore/Gomez being a good pairing.

I agree. What was the point of last night’s lineup? Bob clearly already had his mind made up. What a waste!! We had the opportunity for the team to start to gel against a quality opponent. I simply cannot understand what Bob was thinking. Bring on Klinsman. Finally, Bedoya should have made the team — he definitely fills the role of second-half spark plug sub. (the guy you put in if you are down a goal). If Bradley intends to play a 4-5-1, what is the point of bringing so many fringe fowards?

I’m sure no one on this board picked Findley, including myself. But he does bring a dimension to the game that no one else can – speed. I think he’s picked strictly as a role player – nothing else.

I also think BB was comfortable with placing Dempsey in the striker pool, since it appears we are deep enough at MF. Either Holden or Beasley can fill Clint’s shoes. Even if we lose an MF to injury before WC, we have some depth with Bedoya and Rogers. That depth isn’t there at the striker pool.

Now the mystery is the starting 11 for Turkey. Dempsey up top or at MF?

Anyone playing a 6’7 FW will have plenty of chances to score vs Mexico. Anytime. Anywhere. They foul too much and are, well, generally short. Mexico looked great at times and should have scored more. What I find most interesting is that Guille Ochoa, the posterboy or El Tri–on every Mexican National team commercial I see these days–hasn’t even secured his starting role as the keeper. If he has another poor outing, he probably won’t start…and SA will be having a field day against the 37 yr old Oscar Perez

Jeff Cunningham has to be kicking himself for not doing better at the beginning of the MLS season. Wait, Findley has only scored one goal this MLS season. I think BB wanted one guy with pace late in the game when the opponent’s defense is tired and that was either Johnson or Findley and Johnson just did not do it for BB. I and almost everybody thought Ching would be a lock. It’s kind of ironic because Ching beat out Twellman when everybody thought Twellman was going to get the nod in 2006. And this time, Ching gets cut. Well, anyway, now we have our 23 and let’s support our team 100%. Note: Mexico is losing to Hol.

Not only did Ching play well, the comparison between Ching and our first half pair of losers was pretty stark. Every time Buddle touched the ball it bounced about five feet away. I would suggest he wear moccasins rather than the cleats.

Findley has the speed, but in the World Cup you need the touch. Heaven help us if Altidore gets injured.

I remember Buddle charging through our midfield, knocking down a ball in our own half that fell to a Czech player, and then watching as they set up the first goal. Buddle didn’t play well. There was no holdup play. None. No link up play. None. He looked like the Buddle I remember from Columbus and Toronto. The one that sucked.

The only, and I mean only, reason I say that is because 1) everybody knew Bob was going to pick him and 2) the only other option Bob has considered, Heath Pearce, somehow played worse than Bornstein which is a remarkable achievement. I dont want him on the team, I dont want him on the field but no one can or should be surprised that he was picked. I totally agree that he will be burned and be a complete disaster. As I mentioned in the original post Bornstein would be my fourth option, but I think BB, unfortunately, would place him much higher than that.

Size, mass and toughness are three things we lack up top IMO. Bradley must be planning to score on the counter because I don’t see this group as being very skilled at holding the ball and making good passes in the interior of the attack – the kind of thing Ching excels at. And no we don’t have anyone who does that as well as Brian Ching. We’ll be lucky to get out of the first round I’m afraid – not that Ching would have made that a lock.

Wow. The Ching cut is really a surprise to me–he’s no speedster, but I didn’t think he was going to get cut. I sure hope Jozy can provide decent target play.

Really thrilled to see both Buddle and Gomez make the squad, and perhaps Bradley thinks Buddle can pair up top with Jozy and play the target role. Buddle and Donovan have good chemistry, so (I’m guessing here) that Bradley thinks Buddle can do everything Ching can do with just a little bit more speed.

Given his performances so far, shocked to see Findley on the roster, but I don’t expect him to see the field, given that Gomez is our new super-sub.

I think that’s a pretty unfair statement there Dan considering that the team has all but turned over (this is a great thing for US Soccer). We are nowhere near the 4-5-1 that we played under Chancellor Arena… this team is almost entirely different. We now have players a pool of strikers to choose from and form is now a consideration that our national team can now take into consideration when selecting a roster. That’s new. We also have a better Donovan and Dempsey and a proven Michael Bradley. They can all score.

Our defense on the other hand is brutally bleak and with a game against an explosive England squad and a staunch Slovenia squad that likes to poach winners we may well end up with only 1 or (please god no) 0 pts through our first two games. I think the fact that Oguchi Onyewu struggles jumping, or Carlos Bocanegra is recovering from a hernia (and has little pace), or that Jay DeMerit nearly lost vision in one eye, or that Jonathan Spector was totally lackluster for West Ham should bother us a lot more. I don’t even need to mention the fact that our country of 300 million can’t produce a decent a LB (where are you edgar castillo?) for you to already recognize that having the golden boot winner from the FML coming off the bench is luxury and that heath pearce just barely being cut is a problem.

Here’s a thought, maybe Bob included Findley to play the role of Walcott/Lennon during practice/scrimmages? Findley is fast like the two english players we’ll face, could help Spector/Bocanegra/Bornstein in practice…

Very surprised that Brian Ching was left off the roster and that Robbie Findey made it. Nothing else really surprised me. Clarence Goodson struggled against the Czech Republic but I guess he gets in by default since Chad Marshall is injured and no other centerbacks (e.g., Jimmy Conrad, Omar Gonzalez, etc.) was brought in. Kljestan’s give away at the end of the game may have been the last straw; he has moments where he shines but too inconsistent.

I think Bob Bradley has picked the best squad possible. They need to tighten up their play quite a bit before June 12th, but Bradley did good. That’s the first time I’ve ever said that and quite possibly the last.

MY CHOICES GIVEN THE ROSTER
(DMB could be swapped with Boca/Dolo, Boca with Onyewu but his fitness is suspect, Donovan is better centrally but Bob leaves us with little option)

———–ALTIDORE—DEMPSEY———–

—————————————-

–DONOVAN——-BRADLEY———HOLDEN–

—————–CLARK——————

–DMB—-BOCANEGRA—DEMERIT—SPECTOR–

—————-HOWARD——————

MY PREFERRED LINEUP (3-5-1-1)
Donovan belongs centrally for breakaways/distribution
Convey has shown great form lately
With three defenders, two DM’s would provide shield

—————ALTIDORE—————–

—————DONOVAN——————

–CONVEY——-BRADLEY———-HOLDEN–

———–CLARK——TORRES————

–BOCANEGRA—–ONYEWU———SPECTOR–

—————-HOWARD——————

OR… (3-5-2)
Torres Has Shown an Ability to Hold and Distribute
Donovan belongs more centrally than the wing
Buddle and Donovan have experience partnering
Dempsey and Donovan could switch as they like freedom

Everyone is talking Findley. He has zero chance of playing. I also hope Bornstein has the same chance of playing. Why waste a spot with this guy, and I know we are weak at left back, but give someone, anyone some valuable experience. I just better not see him on the field come June.

Findly is at his best as a super sub, that’s why he sometimes doesn’t start for RSL. He hasn’t shown it this year, but he is typically a calm and clinical finisher on the break. Let’s hope he gets his finishing touch back in these next two friendlies. If he bags a goal, it will do loads for his confidence.

You are right about bornstein leave his man unmarked and beas had to come back and cover for him but bornsteins man did not score (today). He will def ride the pine as Boca will start out left with possibly beas starting in front of him……. I only came to bat for Bornstein cause people stay killing him on here…….. Bornstein off the bench to deal with a speedy winger is not the worst thing that can happen
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I guess Ching’s hamstring just wasn’t 100%. He definitely could have been used in South Africa. Taking Altidore, Buddle, Findlay, & Gomez leads me to believe that Dempsey will start on the right against England, but I’m really clueless about the lineup right now. Altidore doesn’t hold as a lone striker as well as Ching does. I would love to see Torres start, but I think I’m in the minority on that one.

EA, I thought that England lead 2-1 after the first half and won the second half 1-0. Actually Mexico played quite well despite the final score. Their downfall was their inability to finish and poor defense on set pieces. If they fix these flaws they should be able to advance from their group at the WC.

Look I am a huge RSL fan but even I am shocked that Findley made it. He has not been in good form this year but I think that people have it all wrong when they assume that Bradley chose Findley over Ching.

Essentially, they play different positions. I think it is clear by now that Bradley likes to play a target striker with a speed threat striker. In other words, it was Buddle who took Ching’s spot as the other target striker behind Altidore. Findley basically took Davies spot which I personally thought would go to EJ. I really don’t think that Findley is playing great this year but I just think it is more a lack of speed forward options for the US team. Ching and Altidore together on the field just would not work well.

Your not giving Ching a fair shake. I don’t recall him turning balls over last night, in fact he did a tremendous job holding up possession. Not only that but his flick on to Gomez was tremendous and Gomez should have scored.

I agree, Tom. It wasn’t Findely over Ching. It was never Findley over Ching. I think it was probably Buddle over Ching. Findley was in because of speed. Period. Speed is always handy to have in your pocket in certain situations. Buddle’s hot streak, ability to hold up the ball, play in the air, combine with his teammates is what got him in the team over Ching. Ching does all of those things too, but is not hot right now. Bradley went with the guy who is in form (Buddle) over the guy coming back from injury (Ching). It was the right choice.

Excellent picks by Bradley. It’s pretty clear to me that this team is built to try and beat England and survive group play. Ching’s “skill level” really doesn’t mean much against a team like England with their talent. If we are going to beat England, it’s going to be with our superior athletcism and speed, not our deficient skill sets. It’s a real shame Davies is not ready. Now let’s see how they jell and I look forward to seeing some jarring counters on June 12 against an England team that now may have some match-up problems with us on the speed side.

I wonder if BB will start Dempsey up top against Turkey, I have only seen him up front one time, against Egypt, Confed Cup. I would like to see him start there, just to see, ya know.
I must say Maybe BB is thinking of a suprize factor with findley. Because I doubt many of other national team scouts had him on thier radar. Findley will be the one to pop up, when the other teams think that he is ‘not a threat’ I must think that BB knows something that we don’t so, I guess we should trust in the Team. They are all excellent players. Though I would have liked to have seen Bedoya, He is a break-out player!! Also, Klestjan never gets credit, he was a nice creative influence during second half.

Now that the roster is set, the upcoming matches against Turkey and Australia will really give a litmus test as to what we have and where we are from a chemistry standpoint. I would have liked to have won or tied last night, but Bradley had to get a look at the bubble players, and when you’re doing that, mistakes are going to happen. The biggest mistake last night: Pearce BY FAR.

Moving along, I think for now Goodson should start in center back with DeMerit. Gooch, though recovered, is clearly not 100%. He lost a head ball last night to a guy 4-5 inches shorter than him, and barely jumped off the ground in his effort. It directly lead to a goal. What do you think is going to happen against say, Peter Crouch?? Gooch needs to come off the bench.

Two big shocks with the roster choices. Findley and Ching. Ching has been injured and is certainly not ready to play at the highest level so i’m glad he was excluded. Findley has not been in form at all this season, so he’s going soley based on his speed? If that is the case than why not take Johnson who is actually in form as of late and has been capped, not to mention has international experience. I think Bradley had a big brain fart with that selection.

Well done Bob Bradley! I was hoping Buddle would get the pick ahead of Ching, I think he deserves it. Great picks again! I hope Findley impresses and shows why he got picked. You think Dempsey might play at times as an attacking midfield or winger? Let’s go USA!

Buddle is in form, and has been finishing for the Galaxy, he’s had GREAT chemistry with Donovan, has held the ball up and assisted on goals. IMO he has done everything that Ching used to do and so far this season he has done it better. I see Edson and Herculez ahead of Findley on the depth charts and Robbie being used as a spark plug. Funny how all three strikers play for or played for the Galaxy at one point.

back to US talk….I wonder if Clarence Goodson at 6’4 made it into the team after Bradley saw the Mex/Eng friendly? Now I know who will be covering Crouch….back to subject of Mexico friendlies, I’m watching the Mex/Netherlands friendly and there is definately something that neither the US or Mex. has: big groups of hot young fit chicks dancing in the rain together, cheering their team together. Not cheerleaders, but fans. Now thats hot stuff.

Thanks, BrooklynFC. I’ve posted my views on Rogers before. Rogers showed himself to be a one trick pony in the Gold Cup. He started off great, but once everyone scouted him, he was consistenly dispossesed and ineffective. Also, he has a maddening habit of not passing to the open man in front of the goal. Last night, he did not make an impact on the game nor did he show he had improved. As for WC selection, Beasley tracks back better on defense, is more of an offensive threat, has more experience and is more versatile. I would take Beasley over him 10/10 at this point.

Thank God no Ching. Hopefully an end to the sad back to goal boot it to a big man typical American soccer. Not likely. i’m sure they’ll just boot it to the corner but glad he’s not on the roster. Findley is a bigger threat and a better player.

For once, I agree with BB on almost everything. I would just switch Ching and Findley. Findley hasn’t shown much promise in games (maybe he looks brilliant in practice; I couldn’t say), but Ching did what he was supposed to last night, and the through ball to Gomez was sublime, it’s a shame Gomez was shooting at one of the world’s best keepers or else that hard shot may have squirted into the net.

Anyway, generally content with this list, but we could definitely use a veteran presence at striker. And I think we’d be better off with Dempsey at RW. Holden shows a lot of promise, but I have concerns about him. Granted, when Dempsey plays up top for us he scores in bunches, so I suppose I could live with that.

Too bad Bedoya didn’t make the cut, I thought he had some good movements and passes last night, but he did look a little out of sync compared to his competition. I was afraid that Robbie Rogers’ blast that was saved by Cech was going to net him a spot, but I’m glad to see Bradley look past it and take notice of his multiple inadequacies. I’m getting really excited; 16 days till the World CUp kicks off, 17 till USA-England!!!

I was very surprised that Ching was left off the plane, but it makes sense that Bradley wants a versatile squad and Ching’s skills are duplicated elsewhere. If you need hold up play then Dempsey can deliver. Or Buddle might be the guy. Even Altidore showed at Hull with his impressive assist total that he might provide some of what you need.

But Findley can deliver speed and 1v1 that Ching could not match. Imagine this scenario – 20 minutes to go against Algeria and the USA needs one goal to advance from the group. Who do you put in the game? A guy who can slow the game and hold up? Or a guy who can beat his defender against a bunkering Algeria?

I agree. Interestingly Onyewu was beat because he was out of position and wasn’t able to back-peddle quickly enough to get to the cross.

I don’t necessarily blame that on athleticism or physical fitness. Why was he 5 feet off his man in the first place? It looked to me more like a positional error than a physical one. In that respect I think a couple more friendlies under his belt can help him with that…..at least that is my hope. He maybe mostly fit, but he isn’t match ready.

Obviously you don’t know much about Buddle’s past. 03-05 he scored 30 goals with columbus, 08 he scored 15 just two behind the leader Landon Donovan who won the golden boot. He has a knack for the goal but has been hampered by injuries. Lets also not forget he has scored 9 goals this season in 9 games. I would say he is known for his finishing ability.

I think it is fair to assume that Bocanegra is gonna be pushed out there as the starting LB. When you get past Spector and Cherundolo as the other locked in fullbacks, you have to figure we need a comfortable fourth just in case.

Beasley was tried at LB and simply can’t do the job at the international level. Someone had to be the fourth fullback. Bornstein may not be that good but he’s no worse than any other option we have.

Quick question: are players allowed to wear compression sleeves or knee braces in soccer? If so, Gooch needs to put one on so he’ll have a little extra support and mental confidence to go up and win those 50/50s.

one of WAYNE rooneys biggest weakness is if he doesnt get involved in games or if denfence neutralize him he gets mad and doesnt play up to his potential but he kan come up with something out of nothing, crouch, rooney, lampard, and gerrard are theyre main guys to watch out for

Gooch is now a peg leg! I now understand why he was so gracious to give AC Milan a free year. It was painful to watch him limp around out there. I think we are going to need to start Goodson and Demerit in the center

I am going to be very “original” — I am shocked that Findley is included. From what I’ve seen, he offers nothing beyong the ability to run fast. I would have taken Brian Ching, a veteran who does have some ability to hold the ball, finish in the air, etc. Hopefully, the coaching staff know what they are doing.

Beasley vs. Bedoya — tough call. Bedoya seems to be the future, but Beasley is a proven veteran and he looks to be coming back into form. He played decently last night and against the Netherlands.

I actually think the striker pool (plus the form of Beasely and Holden) means we’re going to see a Dempsey Altidore pairing up top with Buddle and Gomez serving as 60 minute subs for Jozy.

The other think I took from yesterday’s match is that maybe Hanemann should be given a run out as #2. Guzan looked pretty rusty whereas marcus has faced nearly all of England’s starts in matched in the past three months with Wolves.

I am happy with Ching being left off the 23 man squad. His field awareness is bad, he’s not a good finisher and he can’t hold the ball. He played okay last night against the Czechs, but honestly, that could be attributed to the runs that Gomez was making and bringing the defense to him. Right now, Buddle is playing much better than Ching and both are similar players and you go with who is better at this point in time. Buddle is a better finisher and I think Buddle can hassle defenses enough to give Altidore some spacing.

I know most are concerned with our forward line. I am more concerned with our defense. Gooch is no where near the form he had last year before his injury. But he is a better option than Marshall. I wish we had better left backs. Bornstein is a joke. But Heath Pierce was even worse last night against a Czech “B” squad. I just pray Bornstein holds his own against England, Slovenia & Algeria, but somehow I doubt it. Demerit, Bocanegra, Goodson, Cherundulo and Gooch are going to have their hands full with playing their own position and making up for the deficiencies of Bornstein. May have to sit him and put Cherundulo or Bocanegra on the left side or drop Torres back. Heck, maybe you use Findley as a left back – use his speed, if he can play an ounce of defense. Still, I am somewhat happy with the overall selections of the 23 man roster. I think this is our best options.

except that Jozy’s forgotten how to finish – so I could see the starters being Dempsey and Altidore,Buddle or Findley, whichever of the 3 looks hot and fits BB’s tactics for the game. With Heculez the 2nd half sub.

I would have liked to have seen Bedoya as well but since the late sub sparkplug role is going to be filled by Gomez and Findley there is no room for him.

Since you think Bob is stupid and Klinsmann is great read this:

_____________

Klinsmann broke off US talks partly over MLS

By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer

May 25, 6:06 pm EDT

Buzz up! 9 PrintBRISTOL, Connecticut (AP)—Juergen Klinsmann broke off talks to become coach of the U.S. football team in 2006 because he wasn’t guaranteed top players the following summer for two preparation tournaments ahead of World Cup qualifying.

The former German national team coach, who will be an ESPN analyst for this year’s tournaments, visited the network’s campus for the first time Tuesday and spoke in some detail about his decision to end talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation in December 2006.

Klinsmann and USSF president Sunil Gulati discussed player availability for the 2007 Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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“There were different opinions, you know, what players could get the permissions in MLS, what role it plays,” he said. “And I thought here, it’s not going the right directions in that specific moment. … So I said, ‘You know, it’s OK, move on.”‘

Gulati then hired Bob Bradley, who is preparing to coach the U.S. in the World Cup next month.

Klinsmann, who moved back to California with his family in December, wouldn’t say whether he would be interested in coaching the U.S. one day.

“I don’t know what happens, you know, over the next couple weeks, you know, or even in a year from now,” he said. “But I think it’s not correct if you discuss something that involves somebody that is actually in charge. And I hope he will stay in charge for a long, long time.”

He went on to praise Bradley as “a great choice.”

“He’s a very knowledgeable and hardworking coach, you know, and I have the highest respect for him,” Klinsmann said.

Klinsmann was a member of Germany’s World Cup team in 1990, 1994 and 1998, and he coached Die Mannschaft to a third-place finish as host in 2006. He agreed in January 2008 to become coach of Bayern Munich the following summer, but was fired in April 2009 with the club in third place in the Bundesliga following its quarterfinal elimination from the Champions League.

As Bayern’s coach, Klinsmann brought over Landon Donovan in early 2009 on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Donovan appeared in five Bundesliga games and one German Cup match, failing to score.

“It was absolutely not a disappointment, it was Landon taking a big risk coming in for three months, knowing ahead of him is Luca Toni, Miro Klose and Lukas Podolski,” Klinsmann said. “He made a lot out of it. You know, I was not agreeing with the board that he was sent back home, and was not agreeing with a lot of things.”

Klinsmann said the stars of Bayern Munich, a group that included Franck Ribery, Lucio, Martin Demichelis, Daniel Van Buyten and Mark van Bommel, didn’t make it easy on Donovan.

“They don’t tell you, you know, ‘Good to have you here, you know. We give you the starting spot.’ They tell you the opposite,” Klinsmann said. “But he experienced that and he worked his way through.”

Donovan had a far better experience this year on loan to Everton. He had 11 starts and scored two goals in 13 matches, helping the Toffees beat Chelsea and Manchester United, and tie against Arsenal. Donovan was voted the team’s player of the month for January.

Klinsmann said he had told Bayern officials to “give him more time and he will break through.”

“They didn’t want to give him the time,” he said. “And it made me sad in a certain way, but made him I think even stronger. Now it’s his momentum this World Cup.”

In 2002 at the World Cup, Klinsmann said Donovan “was a nobody.”

“For 2006, for the entire group was a disappointment,” he said. “But now it’s time, it’s time to step up, and he can do that.”

Former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, also an ESPN World Cup analyst, predicted the U.S. could upset England in its opener on June 12.

“This is the easiest group the U.S. has ever been in. If they don’t get out of this group, not only will it be a disappointment, but it will be a failure,” he said. There are points to be had against England “and not just one point. There’s a possibility that they can certainly get three points. While it will go around the world as this incredible moment and this incredible upset, I look at it not as such a big surprise. I think that England isn’t as good as certainly they believe or that others believe. And I think the U.S. at times is a whole lot better than people give them credit for.”

It seems to me that the last few spots on the roster are less who is the best player and more who is more likely to help in a desperate situation. The only time any of the bench forwards will see the field are if we are down a goal late. in that case I think bradley thought that speed from findley and gomez would be more valuable than size from ching. Even though Ching may be a better player, the skills he brings are more likely to be used by dempsey or altidore, therefore he is expendable unlike someone like findley who has speed that can not be duplicated by many other players in the pool

With forwards understandably dominating this discussion, I’d like to introduce two equally and perhaps more important topics:
PLAYMAKING CENTER-MIDI: This is arguably the most important position on the field, and while I love MB’s tenacity and presence, he’s much better in a defensive center-midi roll, crunching tackles and winning possession. Which begs the question who he should be paired with. Clark is a solid all arounder, but mediocre playmaker. I like Feilharber. But on pure talent, I’d love to see Torres get a chance.
LEFT BACK: With Beasley showing increasing form, BB could make a bold move and start Beasley. With Donovan in front of him, they’d be one of the fastest flanks in the WC.

I was really rooting for Pearce last night, mostly because I’m not a fan of Bornstein. He was to blame for 2 goals though. He definitely looked crushed. You could see it in his face after that missed slide tackle

Have you ever seen our midfield play? Our midfield is good at bunkering down and that is about it. They are not good at keeping possession and providing our forwards with consistent service. Ching would have been good to have bc he can hold the ball up while our mids get forward and then distribute. With Ching gone I have a feeling our only offense against England will be hopeful long balls over the top.

Wow. I’m really surprised Ching didn’t make the cut. I thought he was a lock. All I’ve been reading leading up to this point was that he’s had a good camp. Also, his performance last night was solid. I would rather have Eddie J. than Findley, I hope he proves me wrong. No Bedoya either! I’m a little upset now.

What gives with making the guys wear their Nike warmup JACKETS zipped up during the entire announcement ceremony … while it was 90F and sunny?

A couple guys dared to unzip the jackets and apparently were told to zip ’em back up, because they were all zipped up when the camera panned back for final whole team shot. I hope USSF got some HUGE coin from Nike for putting the guys through that (made me want to run right out and buy my very own … NOT!). Reminded me of USSF’s decision to host the ’86 semi-final qualifier against Costa Rica in LA. A tie would’ve got the US through to finals. But, USSF wanted a big crowd. It worked, CR won 1-0 and moved on over the US in front a very friendly crowd … IN THE USA!

Maybe that’s just it. Findley’s upside is definitely better than Ching’s, especially taking into account their age. Maybe Bradley is wanting to give Findley the experience of a World Cup knowing that Ching won’t be in the player pool for much longer. I don’t think Ching’s omission loses us a game or even necessarily a goal. If Findley grows into a better player because of this experience, then to me it is worth it.

Tried to post this last night but was too long. Trimmed it up, must share.
“So, I just got back from my first USMNT game live, ever.

So excited!

So awesome!!

It was great.

However, we had to hitchhike back because my phone didn’t work after the game and things got hairy, but all worked out in the end.

It is true when people say they can see more live than on TV. So true. I’ve always wondered when people who claim to have been to the game say someone did well at the game that everyone who watched on TV says sucked. But, it is totally true. We could watch the TV version on the big screen and had front row tix for the real action, and the camera misses tons.

With all that said, I want to give my drunken 23… after I pose 1 question.
Why didn’t Feilhaber get a look?!?!?!?!?!?!

Holden did well on the wing, well enough to earn a ticket. Then he played center mid and earned a chance to compete for the starting position.

Edu was the singular most dominating player on the entire field at center mid. Amazing. After tonight an Edu Holden tandem is something I would consider.
His defense was tight and his forward passing and through balls were spectacular.

What can I say, Rogers looked spectacular. I never thought I would argue to give him a shot… but after this one, he deserves one. Spectacular.

Torres booked his trip.”

At the game I was worried why feilhaber didn’t play… I’m still wondering…. have not read the top post from Ives yet….I want to be ready to soak in the final 23 on my own time. ha!

Thank you!!! Finally someone said it. I know the apparent vast majority of commenters on this board like to believe that Bob Bradley has no qualifications for his job, but can we please come off the thought that we know what this team needs more than he does?! If BB saw enough from Findley in training/club/otherwise to determine that he suits a particular need for this team, that’s good enough for me. Couple that with Bocanegra’s comments and I’m actually kind of excited to see if there is some chemistry there that can be exploited in the WC.

Of course not a replacement for this World Cup, I’m not an idiot, but we clearly have a problem with depth at outside backs and while Braun has been called into camp once as forward, I think he may be a strong candidate to convert to outside back if he wants to play there.

From Bradley on the US page. Seems to me Ching’s injury is what helped make the decision.

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach BOB BRADLEY
On his decision to take Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez:
“Plain and simple, Edson and Herculez have had real good stretches, scored a lot of goals. Brian has been such an important player but it’s tough when you have an injury at an inopportune time.”

Good point. Even when healthy he is very limited. Good in the air but slow afoot with the penchant for the unnecessary foul. Technically lacking too. I shudder if he has more than one touch on the ball. Remember he couldn’t cut it in England and moved back to Belgium. AC Milan will surely loan him to a lesser team.

There is a huge difference between watching a player from television or the stands as a fan and evaluating a player from a coaching aspect. From the Coaching aspect Ching just is not game fit. He has been out with an injury for several weeks and is just now coming back. While he did have one nice set up pass via a back heel to Gomez, that type of play will not work at the world cup level. He lacks the pace and or stamina at this point to help the US like the other players can. Ultimately this is the conclusion Bradley and staff came to.

i will never get the “we did good, except we couldn’t finish”. IMO, finishing is difference between a B- player and an A player. your B- guys play well, but when it counts, they just don’t deliver. an A guy generally plays well, but when the chips are down . . . delivers and wins the game.

additionally, did anyone care to think that giving mexico possession was part of englands game plan? i mean hell, those bunch of midgits don’t have much of a chance to score against a team that almost double’s them in bulk. if i was capelo, i would tell the squad, “let them wear themselves out, and then look for a counter. after they have significant possession without a goal, they have a history of getting emotional and falling out of their game plan”

beating mexico 101, let them beat themselves with their emotional play. haven’t we learned that from all the games against the USMNT?

This shouldn’t come as a shock considering how Heath Pearce played. I thought last night some guys could play their ways into the 23 man roster but not play their way out of the 23 man roster.. which is exactly what Pearce did. He had a hand in giving up 2 goals last night. Bornstein had better crosses and is more dangerous on set pieces. He’s got better speed and is the future of U.S. soccer.

just to add, the teams that try to beat mexico at their game (possession and pure technical play) are usually the teams that mexico beats (or comes damn close at doing so). note i am excluding the games played in mexico city, as the smog and altitude are totally different dynamics and alter the way both teams play.

mexico’s victories in mexico city usually come by way of sitting back and waiting for the altitude to set it . . . then coming full force on the team and overwhelming them with their endurance.

Whether you agree with the roster or not, none of the snubs did much to cement their roster spot. The biggest surprise was of course the Findley inclusion and the Ching exclusion. Ching has been injured as of late and his match fitness is certainly in question and rumor has it he tweeked something last night. Findley is a complete shock since he didn’t even play last night. He must have had an incredible camp. Bradley aleady new about 20-22 roster spots before last night. The only position i think that was up in the air was Pearce or Bornstein. Pearce played his way out of the WC spot. The two forward pairings were interesting and I think the standouts for both were the one’s selected.

Perhaps johnson would have been a better choice rather than findley because of his international experience and equal speed but Bradley like findley at this point to strecth the field.

Last night clearly decided who would make the roster. Did you not see all the battles for spots?

Ever person that was subbed out was in direct competion with the person with which they were subbed for

The main core of guys already have played tons of games together last night was clearly an on the field try out for spots

Beas/rogers beas won
Buddle/ching buddle won
Johnson/gomez gomez won
Bornstein/pearce bornstein won
torres/kljestan torres won
Bedoya came in for Gooch cuz gooch was gassed and no one on the bench could play CenterBack so Bradley got Bedoya another cap for the Future

Right on. The glaring thing that stands out about last night was that BB needed 1 or 2 extra matches to test his fringe players.

Ching made the whole team better in the 2nd half. During this 2nd half we had an extremely sloppy midfield and Ching was trying to make-up for some of this as well and Holden was getting tired.
If Ching and Gomez had the 1st half midfield, it would have been a different story.

Robbie Findley, what a shock!
No Rogers is a surprise because he looked spectacular last night.
No Bedoya is even more of a surprise because he looked spectacular against a top team, the Netherlands.
No Ching is as big of a shock as including Buddle.

I’m not here to say “Fire BB” like many other have said but it is glaringly obvious that BB did not give some players a fair shake.

BB obviously needed 1 or 2 more matches to get a better feel for the chemistry amongst players.
Whatever they do in camp doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be good or bad in the game.

For example, Findley is said to look amazing in camp and beating defenders all the time.
As a counter example you could say this, D.Milito simply doesn’t have what it takes during practice to get by our[Inter] defenders.

This is exactly why you get more than 2 send-off matches. BB needed more matches to see if what was happening in camp translated onto the field.
Then the extra positive you take from having 1 or 2 more matches is that you have more, 1 or 2 more, matches to put his full 23 together and build perfect team chemistry.

Anyhow, it is what it is now and I can’t wait for saturday to see how we do!!!
Go USA!!!

True, Bob definitely will regret not having a Bedoya as a sub on the wing…. I mean, If Deuce is up top, then we only have 3 wing players: Beas, Donovan, and Holden…what happens then when we need another sub..or if all 3 are playing and 1 gets hurt??

I THINK THE GAME LAST NIGHT WAS HORRIBLE. WE DID NOT GET REVENGE. WE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEAT THEM 3-2. I AM NOT SURPRISED GOMEZ SCORED ON PETER CECH GRATZ TO HIM. :). FINDLEY BETTER PROVE THAT HE CAN DO SOMETHING. FREDDY ADU WOULD HAVE BEEN A WAY BETTER OPTION THEN FINLEY. ARENA NEVER GAVE FREDDY A CHANCE AND BOB DID NOT EITHER. TO BAD CASTILLO, JONES, AN IN 100 % FORM ADU AND A HEALTHY JONES. WE COULD HAVE WIPED THE FLOOR WITH ENGLAND. THE SKY WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LIMIT AND WE WOULD HAVE BEEN SITTING ON CLOUD 9 WINNING THE GROUP. :D. I BELIEVE THIS U.S.A. TEAM WILL GO FAR. GO U.S.A.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why Findley?…c’mon Coach Bradley, what has he done for the USMNT lately?…or ever, for that matter!!

I was at the game in Ct. and most of the players were very gracious with the kids that waited for autographs after the game. My 11 year old son was so very, very happy to get signatures from his heroes Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, Bocanegra, Torres, Beasley, Gooch, Altidore and Clark.

He missed getting ink from a few of his heroes… Coach Bradley, Michael Bradley, Holden, Feilhaber, DeMerit, Cherundolo, and Spector.

Thank you so much guys… you really made a great night even better for my son. These are memories that he’ll cherish the rest of his life.

After leaving the team buses and walking to our tailgating area, my son continued kicking his ball around until the parking lot cleared…that was about midnight. You guys have created a monster. His goal is now to play for the USMNT. Look for him in 2018.